


M is for Merfolk

by HomeForImaginaryFriends



Series: The A,B,Cs of Mythical Creatures and Monsters [13]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Pirates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2019-03-25 10:47:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13832553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HomeForImaginaryFriends/pseuds/HomeForImaginaryFriends
Summary: Moniwa was captured and sold in a market, only to be bought by the feared pirate Captain Ushijima. Is hope lost?





	M is for Merfolk

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Spring_Emerald](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spring_Emerald/gifts).



> This was written for Spring_Emerald who requested over on tumblr mermaid/merman+UshiMoni. This is my first time writing UshiMoni was the main pairing and I hope I did their adorableness justice! It was nice to step out of my usual comfort zone and I've been meaning to write a merfolk fic for a long time, so thank you Spring and I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Also I based Moniwa's fins off the crowntail black orchid (which is a betta fish but one of the only pretty black fishes I could find!)
> 
> http://thatishogwash.tumblr.com/

Moniwa was ashamed.  He had been caught by poachers so easily and he had basically swam right into their trap.  He hadn’t meant to, of course not but that hardly mattered when they scooped him up out of the water, put him on their ship, and took them to a human market to be sold to a collector.  Moniwa had warned the younger ones about poachers, had asked Sakunami to keep an eye on Koganegawa because  he was always wandering, never paying attention to his surroundings.

 

Moniwa should have paid closer attention but ship bottoms look the same.  He had been looking for the ship captained by Kuroo, the one Sawamura was currently travelling on.  Sawamura had gained favor from the gods, he was born a merman but he could walk on two feet if he so wished it.  He never felt the need before until two of his tribe had been caught and he had gone looking for them.  To do so required him to pass as a human and he had paid for Kuroo’s help.  Moniwa was wary of Captain Kuroo but even Moniwa could tell the way the pirate looked at Sawamura was not out of greed to what the merman could give him, but of something infinitely softer and gentler.

 

Sawamura spent his time split between his own kin and aboard Kuroo’s ship.  Sawamura’s presence had been requested in court, so Moniwa had volunteered to fetch him.  It was a job Moniwa often took upon himself, time to stretch and be alone.

 

Moniwa loved his kin but they were an awfully rowdy bunch and required so much time and energy.

 

It should have been a simple task.  It was a simple task, something Moniwa had carried out time and time again.

 

Now he was stuck in a small glass case filled with water and surrounded by humans.  They gawked and tapped on the glass, the sound vibrating through the water and hurting Moniwa’s ears.  Everytime he moved they oohed and awed at his trailing fins.  He was mostly covered in black scales, though the fins on his arms and tail were long and flowed through the water, the thinnest parts looked black until the light hit them and then they were a vibrant blue.

 

A large man made his way through the crowd, who parted before him.  He was massive and dressed finely.  Moniwa shrunk away, his back hitting the other side of the glass case.

 

Moniwa had gotten use to most being larger than him.  He had always been the smallest amongst his kin and Aone was longer and broader than any Moniwa had met before.  But there was always a kindness Moniwa saw in Aone, perhaps it was because he had known him since he was a tiny thing.  Moniwa sensed no kindness, no give to the man speaking.

 

Moniwa’s heart beat erratically in his chest, fear working its way through his body until he was numb all over.

 

Was this the man who was to buy him?

 

Would they send someone after him as they did Kageyama and Hinata when they were taken?  Sawamura was a good friend but he had risked much to save the younger two, he had been beaten and taken captive himself at one point.

 

Moniwa was pulled out of the glass case roughly, his tale scraping against the side painfully.

 

“Careful.”  Moniwa flinched as he finally heard the large man's voice.  It was deep, without inflection or emotion.  “I paid good money for that and I will not have you make a mess of it.”  Moniwa wanted to fight but out of the water what use was he?  He already found it hard to breath and all he had was his arms to fight, his tail practically useless except for flopping around and weighing him down when out of the water.

 

Moniwa was loaded into a small crate filled with water.  It was boarded up around him so he saw nothing and he barely had space to move at all.

 

Moniwa couldn’t remember being any more scared in his life then he was right then.  His only hope was that Sawamura would come for him, that the friendship they had shared throughout the years was enough for Sawamura to risk his life once more to come on land.  Captain Kuroo would help, he was a pirate but Moniwa knew where there were treasures buried deep on the ocean floor.

 

Time passed, though how much Moniwa couldn’t say.  The ocean echoed beneath him, it made him believe he was back on a ship.  The song of her was a soft whisper against his frayed nerves, trying to soothe him though it just made him curl further in on himself for he feared he would never again be within her embrace.

 

The top of his prison was suddenly pulled off, light flooded into his dark area and he sat up, half of his body out of the water now.  Moniwa looked around and flinched away when he saw the man who had bought him, plus a couple others.

 

“He’s so cute, are you sure we can’t keep him Wakatoshi?”  This man was as tall as the one who had bought him, but not nearly as wide.  His hair was a startlingly shade of red and his eyes were large and heavily lidded.

 

“Don’t be stupid Tendou.”  A man with black tips snapped, looking annoyed at the whole situation.

 

The big man stepped forward, kneeling down by the side of the crate that held Moniwa.  Moniwa pushed himself away but he didn’t have far to go.

 

“Don’t be afraid.”  It sounded like an order, spoken in that deep and rumbling tone.  It didn’t help soothe Moniwa’s nerves in the least.  “We are taking you back to your home.”

 

“You are?”  Moniwa asked in surprise, body automatically shifting towards the large man.  He wanted so badly for it to be true, for this not to be a cruel joke but there was no give in the mans face.

 

“Of course.”  The one who had snapped earlier said.  When he wasn’t addressing the redhead his face was almost kind.  “We have no wish to anger the goddess.”  Kuroo had once said that those who travelled on the water only believed in the ocean, who was to be shown the greatest respect at all times.

 

“Aw but Semisemi, Wakatoshi likes him.”  The redhead, Tendou, whined while draping himself over the other man, who flushed and looked angry but did not brush Tendou off.

 

“I am Ushijima, this is my ship and you are safe here.”  Moniwa looked into the deep green eyes of the man kneeling next to him and for some reason he couldn’t help but believe him.  His voice and posture revealed nothing, calmly stoic at all times but his eyes.  His eyes weren’t soft or gentle, but there was reassure there.

 

“Come on, let’s leave them alone.”  The one called Semisemi said, pulling the redhead out of the room and closing the door behind him.

 

The room was lavishly decorated, Moniwa noted now that his fear was disappearing.  He had swam through many wrecks and seen all sorts of decorations but it was his first time being in a ship that wasn’t sunken.  They had kept him locked up below deck when they captured him and he had never ventured further than the side of Kuroo’s ship.

 

“Do you have a name?”  Ushijima said, pulling Moniwa’s attention back to him.

 

“Moniwa.”  He answered, hands skimming the top of the water nervously.

 

“I apologize for your accommodations but you will have to remain here.”  Ushijima frowned slightly.  “Sawamura does not have trouble breathing outside of water even when he has a tail instead of legs.”  The rest of Moniwa’s worries fled away at the name of his friend.  He pushed closer to the side, directly into Ushijima’s face.

 

“You know Sawamura?”  Moniwa asked, just to be sure.

 

“Yes, I have tried to get him to be apart of my crew many times but he always denies me.”  Ushijima frowned at this though Moniwa noticed a slight pinkening of his cheeks.  Perhaps it was hot in the cabin for the human?  It felt fine for Moniwa.  “It is foolish but he says he is not apart of Kuroo’s crew.  He would be better suited to my ship, it is larger and faster.”  Moniwa couldn’t help but laugh, which he knew might be rude but Ushijima was so serious.

 

“He must trust you if he let you know what he was.”  Moniwa said, attempting to soothe over Ushijima’s hurt ego from Moniwa laughing because he was quite red now.  “But it would be very hard to pull him away from Kuroo, I think they love each other very much.”

 

“Ah,” Ushijima said, fingers trailing in the water next to Moniwa’s side, causing tiny ripples.

 

“You wish for him to show you where the sunken ships are?”  Moniwa asked, head tilting slightly.

 

“Yes, plus he has control of a Kraken and the winds and ocean favor him.”  Ushijima said simply.

 

“Then I will be of no help, only Sawamura’s kin are crazy enough to get close to a Kraken.”  Moniwa laughed once more, even amongst their own kind Sawamura and his own were considered an oddity.  “Plus it would be rather uncomfortable for me considering being away from the ocean drains my energy.”

 

“Then you must go back.”  Ushijima said with complete conviction.  It warmed something inside Moniwa because this man, who must be a pirate the same as Kuroo, could use Moniwa to strengthen himself but he was going to give up that advantage without a fight.

 

They talked as the ship moved further into the ocean.  Ushijima was well spoken and he was indeed a pirate, though he liked to think of himself and his crew as merchants.  He had been apart of the royal navy until they had abandoned him and his crew, leaving them to die.  He worked only for himself now, worked on to provide for his crew and keep his ship in top shape.

 

Moniwa found himself liking Ushijima more with every passing moment.  He wasn’t as emotionless as Moniwa had believed at first, though his expression did not vary often.  Moniwa might have practice from Aone, who did not show his emotions easily either, but he could tell by the small quirk of Ushijima’s lips or the little raise of one eyebrow if he was amused or interested.

 

“Captain!”  A tall youth with a bowl cut ran into the room, stopping and standing straight though he gaped at Moniwa for a moment.  “We are at our destination!”

 

“Thank you Goshiki.”  The young man bowed deeply before running out as quickly as he had come in.  “Do you mind if I carry you?  That would be simplest.”

 

“Oh yes, of course.”  Moniwa felt his face heat up as Ushijima bent down, not giving a care for his white shirt as he scooped Moniwa up, his face revealing a hint of surprise.  “Am I too heavy?”  Moniwa asked nervously though Ushijima was already walking.

 

“No, but I was not expecting the texture of your tail.”  Ushijima spoke as he made his way through the small hallway.  Moniwa curled his arm around Ushijima’s neck but turned this way and that to get a glimpse of what he could.

 

“Is it bad?”  Moniwa asked.  He did not have the sharp spikes that some had and he knew there was a large difference between his tail and the skin of his torso but it had always been that way for him.  “I cannot change as Sawamura can.”

 

“Your tail and fins are very beautiful.”  Moniwa felt his face heat up once more at Ushijima’s honesty.  He tried to tell himself it was just because Ushijima had not seen many merfolk.  There were others who were much more beautiful than him, brighter colors and extravagant fins.  But he was flattered either way.

 

“Thank you.”  Moniwa said shyly as they reached the upper deck.

 

All he had thought about since he had been taken from the ocean was getting back to her but now that the time had come?  He felt something heavy sit in the pit of his stomach.

 

“Ushijima might I ask one more favor?”  Moniwa spoke as they came to the side of the ship.  The crew was bustling around, continuing their jobs as if their captain often rescued captured merfolk and strode out onto the deck carrying them.

 

“Of course.”  Ushijima said without question.

 

“Could you mark the bottom of your boat?  So I know she is yours.”  Moniwa’s fingers curled into the wet fabric of Ushijima’s shirt, which was practically see-through now thanks to the water.

 

“You will come back?”  Ushijima asked, settling Moniwa on the side of the ship.  He looked surprised but then a smile crossed his features, softening his face and making Moniwa’s heart feel like it was about to burst out of his chest.

 

“I would like to repay you.”  Moniwa said which was the truth, though not all of it.  Moniwa would like to see Ushijima again but he could not risk being captured.

 

“Of course.”  Ushijima took Moniwa’s hand in his own, turning it over so his palm was showing.  He carefully traced his finger on Moniwa’s palm, not seeming to mind the webbing between his fingers or the way his fingers were more pointed than Ushijima’s blunt tips.  His hand felt warm and big, just like the rest of the man before him.

 

“What does that mean?”  Moniwa recognized it as human writing, though he didn’t know how to read it.

 

“It is what I will carve into the bottom of my ship.”  Ushijima traced it once more before holding Moniwa’s hand between both of his.  “And it is your name, so you will always know this is a safe place for you.”

 

“Oh.”  Moniwa curled his hand around Ushijima’s, an almost unconscious action.  “Well then.”

 

“Do you need help being lowered into the water?”  Ushijima asked, glancing down at the long drop.

 

“No I will be fine.”  Moniwa promised, carefully pulling away his hand.

 

Moniwa had never considered himself particularly brave but he pushed himself up and pressed his lips against the warm skin of Ushijima’s cheek.  An action he had seen Sawamura do to Kuroo, a small, innocent kiss that always seemed to make the smirking pirate blush.

 

Ushijima looked surprised and Moniwa could make out a slight pink rising on his cheeks but what really stood out was that lovely smile blooming across his face once more.

 

Moniwa turned and dived into the ocean to save himself from more embarrassment.  He would go home and check in with his kin, who were sure to have missed him these past couple days.  Then he would search for a treasure worthy of the man who had bought him.


End file.
